


Morning Bourbon

by feedmyflame



Category: Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-11
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-25 01:37:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/633711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feedmyflame/pseuds/feedmyflame
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been years, but the hurt is still there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Morning Bourbon

He misses him most in the mornings, when he pours his first drink.

Sometimes he gets a slight reprieve, a grace period when the malaise is nameless, but the second Damon uncorks the bourbon he hears Alaric’s voice parroting his dumb joke: “'Stuff’ll kill you.”

Elena always knows. It’s a daily ritual, and if she were to count the days she’s witnessed it she’d be counting for a long time. She knows because his face changes; his eyes go empty for a second, and the muscles tense in familiar patterns. There’s a reason she loves to watch him sleep. When his face is soft she can imagine he’s okay, and that she'll be okay too with enough time. (She won’t, but it’s nice to pretend.) She never gets up before him because sometimes, if she’s the first thing he sees, she gets to see his eyes unclouded. For a few seconds, at least. A few minutes on the best days.

She watches him remember and sometimes she ignores it and sometimes tries to fix it but usually she gets herself a glass, because her mornings match his most of the time. They toast until it doesn’t hurt so much.


End file.
